Omaha daily bee., 1887-02-07
GENERAL PHIL SHERIDAN,
How he Got an Opportunity to Win a
Name for Himself.
FROM A CAPTAIN TO COLONEL
The story OF His appointment and
How He Received It-Gen-
eral Gordon Granger's
Good Work.

Successful mems lives-writes Colonel
frank Burr, in the Philadelphia Times
are full of accidents. General Philip ii.
Sheridan got his first opportunity to win
fame by chance. When the civil war
was more than year old lie was an is
suer of rations with only the rank of eap
tain. Had not General Grant been re
lieved of the command of his army after
the battle of Shiloh, Sheridan would
probably never have left the commissary
department to lead men to battle. 1t is
true that he fretted in the position he
then held on General Halleck's staff.
He had done the best he could to secure
the colonelcy of some regiment from his
native state; but he was then without
fame or influence. He had been sent to
West Point practically by a political ac-
cident, and his family, who lived down
IN the little OHIO village some few miles
below Newark, had no means of impi -as.
ing themselves upon the governor, Each
new regiment that was called out had a
dozen aspirants for the colonelcy, with
social and political power to throw into
the scale to help their ambitions.
~
THIS was potent power as against a
pure military training. SO Sheridan
weeks of application heightened into
months and months into a second year,
and yet he found no employment for his
military genius higher than looking after
the rough proyender which the govern
ment provided for its soldiers. When
a. s.,
upon him he was still Il member of Gen.
eral Haleck's staff. HIS place thereon
was not large one either. But he made
the best there was OF it.
~
The 25th of May. 1862, came, finding
that this old lawyer general, full of
cranks and prejudices, had virtually dug
his way during SIX weeks or inactivity
from the fateful field of Shiloh to within
gunshot of the confederate outposts at
Corinth. Each succeeding mile, from
the day when Halleck had relieved Grant,
new line of earthworkS was thrown up
in an over-cautiuus advance. Graves of
brave men dotted the hillsides and val
leys. They numbered in the aggregate
more souls than would have been lost in
open combat with the confederate army.
for it was only half the size OF that which
Halleck had gathered to play with upon
twenty miles of entrenchments-from the
point where he relieved General Grant of
command to the confederate OutpoStS at
the railroad centre, which Beauregard
evacuated when Halleck came too near.
Nv
Just after the battle of Shiloh Pope's
army, which had been operating on the
Mississippi below Island Number Ten,
was brought up to swell Halleck's forces.
Among these troops was the Second
Michigan Cavalry and with the other
troops it fretted and grew half demoral-
lied with the slow and uncertain policy
which characterized Halleck' s operations
after the frightful wrcstle on the banks of
the Tennessee. Its colonel, Gordon
Granger, was made a brlgadier general
about this time. He was regular army
officer, who had been promoted from Il
captaincy to It's command while it was
stationed in st. Louis His discipline
was severe, but it made the regiment eff.
clent beyond almost any other body of
troopers then in the service.
~
His promotion left it in condition to
be very soon dcmoralized. During the
few weeks which elapsed before a new
colonel was found the regiment dr'fted
under the command of a lieutenant
colonel into that feeling of uncertainty
which is detrimental to any military or
ganizaton AS it lay one evening in the
latter part of May within cannon-shot of
the village of Corinth its future was a
question of strong hand and new
spirit.
mer days SO common in that southern
Company G, Second Michigan cavalry,
was acting field officer of the day. He
! always took an active interest IN the
regiments welfare. Frequently with the
other officers had he discussed, without
solution, the problem of finding n new
colonel for command, the record of
which was and is second to none in the
army. Austin Blair was at that time
! governor of Michigan and at the moment
of which | am writing was visiting the
army. He was to return home the very
morning when the accident occurred
which gave him an opportunity to do a
meritUrious act and endow with new
force the cavalry regiment from his
state, in which he had an unusual in
tereSt.
Captain Alger had been on picket duty
| all night of the 24th of May, and early on
the morning of the 2ith reported to
General Gordon Granger upon some
matters of detail, which was his duty as
acting field officer of the day in front OF
an enemy. After the business of the
| moment was over the condition of the
| Second Michigan cavalry became the
| subject of discussion. General Granger
| who still took an interest in its welfare
| had been casting about for some regular
army officer VINO would be his tit sue
cessor at the head of this splendid regi
ment. He had been over to Hslleck's
headquarters the day before Captain
| Ager's visit and had met Sheridan
This morning rs he and Alger talked, he
| sald
II have found man who will make
| your regiment good colonel"
who is ity" asked Alger, earnestly.
| Captain Phil Sheridan, of the Thir
teenth infantry, replied Granger. 'Hc
is now over at Halleck's headquarters
acting as a commissary on his staf. "
A shade of inquiry passed over Genera
| Grangcr's countanance as he said:
"He is just the man you want, but
| doubt whether Governor Blair will com
mission another regular army officer II
command a Michigan regiment. III,
thinks that we are too severe in oul
discipline and that the troops do not likC
| us. "
Captain Alger replied that the rcgi
ment needed a commander of character
and decision, and that he believed Blail
would do any reasonable thing for thu
| welfare of the troops from his state.